Mechanical Design and Packaging of Battery Packs for Electric Vehicles

Safety and reliability are the two key challenges for large-scale electrification of road transport sector. Current Li-ion battery packs are prone to failure due to reasons such as continuous transmission of mechanical vibrations, exposure to high impact forces and, thermal runaway. Robust mechanical design and battery packaging can provide greater degree of protection against all of these. This chapter discusses design elements like thermal barrier and gas exhaust mechanism that can be integrated into battery packaging to mitigate the high safety risks associated with failure of an electric vehicle (EV) battery pack. Several patented mechanical design solutions, developed with an aim to increase crashworthiness and vibration isolation in EV battery pack, are discussed. Lastly, mechanical design of the battery pack of the first fully electric bus designed and developed in Australia is presented. This case study showcases the benefits of adopting modularity in the design of EVs. In addition, it highlights the importance of packaging space for EVs, particularly in low-floor electric buses, as weight distribution becomes a challenge in these applications.